MPI-EUI Project

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MPI-EUI Project

A Global Project on Improving the Capacity for Responding to Global Challenges

This project identified ways in which European and U.S. immigration systems can be substantially improved to address major challenges policymakers confront on both sides of the Atlantic, in the context of the current economic turmoil and in the longer term.

The project was funded by the European Union and directed at the Migration Policy Institute by MPI President Demetrios Papademetriou and at the European University Institute’s Migration Policy Center at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, by Philippe Fargues, the center’s director. Read the final report here.

The research focuses on eight challenges policymakers face in the United States and Europe (view focus areas at right).

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Recent Activity

Migration and development have emerged as a pressing policy priority on the global agenda. This report identifies critical lessons from the past decade of policy experimentation and offers recommendations for migration and development policy.

This final report summarizes and reflects upon the key findings of the Improving EU and U.S. Immigration Systems: Learning from Experience comparative research project undertaken by MPI and the European University Institute through a grant from the European Commission.

The impact of climate change as a driver of human migration is expected by many to dwarf all others. Still, certain frequently repeated forecasts of the number of people who stand to be displaced by climate change are not informed by a complete understanding of migration dynamics, as this report explains.

The United States has historically offered unparalleled economic opportunity to successive generations of immigrants and their children, poised to play an increasing role in the U.S. economy. But the lasting impact of job loss and slower growth over the next decade will translate into fewer opportunities for workers—and immigrants may prove the most vulnerable.

European dominance in U.S. immigration flows has decreased significantly since World War II, a result of economic, demographic, and policy trends on both sides of the Atlantic. Today, migration from European Union Member States to the United States, while small, is characterized by a substantial numbers of European scientists, professionals, and businesspeople.

Since 1970, the immigrant populations from Mexico and Central America living in the United States have increased significantly: rising by a factor of 20 even as the total U.S. immigrant population increased four-fold over the period. This demographic report examines the age, educational, and workforce characteristics of these immigrants.

Civil society provides a crucial link between governments and the communities they represent—infusing policy processes with grassroots knowledge to which governments may not otherwise have access. Looking at the European Union’s efforts to engage with civil society in its “neighborhood,” this report examines the benefits, challenges, and mechanisms to building dialogue and cooperation on migration and development.

This report describes the range of policies available to improve immigrants’ economic integration through language acquisition, especially those focused on getting immigrants into jobs or moving into higher-paying jobs. It assesses promising models and practices from Europe and North America.

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About the Project

The MPI-European University Institute research project focused on developments in Europe and the United States in eight key areas: employment, economic growth, human rights, security, immigrant integration, demographics, development, and cooperation with immigrant-sending countries. It was funded with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this page are the sole responsibility of MPI and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.